1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and device for enhancing the resolution of color flat panel displays and cathode ray tube (CRT) displays. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and device for spreading complex color information across adjacent pixels of a display to increase the effective horizontal resolution.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many techniques have been proposed to enhance the quality of digitized outputs of electronic display and hardcopy devices by reducing the effects of quantizations. The use of gray-scaling to smooth out jagged edges (commonly called anti-aliasing) is used in many applications. Unfortunately, the dot pitch of many common flat panel displays is not fine enough to allow effective use of gray-scale anti-aliasing. As a result, the output of a common flat panel display employing an anti-aliasing technique looks more blurred than smoothed.
In patient monitors, some of the waveforms displayed can exhibit a high slew rate (a high slope), such as the ECG QRS complex. When these waveforms are displayed on a flat panel display, an objectionable stair stepping effect can be observed. The stair stepping effect is caused by a lack of horizontal display resolution. This lack of horizontal resolution has somewhat limited the acceptance of flat panel displays in high end patient monitoring equipment in which a higher quality waveform display is expected.
CRTs, unlike flat panels, do not have a fixed number of physical pixels. A CRT's resolution, however, is generally limited by the speed of the CRT display electronics. Therefore, the need exists for a post-processing resolution enhancing device capable of operating within the above mentioned physical design limitations inherent in the CRT and the color flat panel.
While the above mentioned smoothing method may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, it would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.